Laying in Kuroos arms like this made you feel so warm and protected. This wasn't good, the longer you spend with this guy the more feelings you start to have for him. It's getting beyond the point of just attraction, you're starting to think about how you feel when he protects you. You're starting to hope he doesn't let go. If you were sober you would've never let yourself think like this. You really were just focusing on his hand curling around your knees and your waist, the way his biceps felt against your back, you didn't really realize where you were going until you felt a cool breeze on your face. You were on the second story of the house in a bedroom. Kuroo put you down and you thought something might happen and got ready to defend yourself.
Instead you had nothing to worry about. Kuroo said nothing and went to open a window.
"What are you doing?" You asked, getting up on your elbows. He starts to put his leg out the window, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"I'm checking it out. Wait right there, okay? Maybe sober it up while you're at it." Kuroo smiled cocky and ducked out the window. He didn't try to make any moves, maybe he really his different.
"Wh-what?" You got up quickly, the bed squeaking loudly. Then suddenly felt dizzy and had to rest your hands on your knees. You didn't see Kuroo's head poke back in at the sound of your rustling and the bed squeaking.
"That was fast, miss me already?" Kuroo's smirk reentered the room, "Buy me dinner first before we make the bed squeak like that."
Maybe he's not so different.
"Oh, like I'd let you." You quickly retorted and stood up. Kuroo chuckled at your comment. You came out to the window, there was a small roof platform facing the backyard where the party still raged on. That's where Kuroo still was as it looked like he was checking to see if the roof tiles were sturdy and then set his jacket down.
"Alright, I think it's safe enough. Come on." He extended his hand to you and crouched down by the window. You looked beyond his hand and saw...
"Oh hell no." It was way too high, ever since you were a kid you didn't like heights. It wasn't a serious fear but you never wanted to make a habit of it either. "Come on, get off there." You said, trying to usher him back into the room.
"No way. You have to come out here. I promise you it's totally safe. I do this at home all the time." He insisted, his smirk was something you felt like you had only seen in movies. The way he comforted you and stopped you in your tracks at the same time. "I thought you were the dangerous one, what's wrong with a little fresh air?"
"Dangerous? This is not what I meant when I said that. It's not like I'm afraid of heights, or anything, I'm just not stupid either." You huffed, refusing to step out of that window.
"Don't worry, I'll hold you if you need me to." He said, he liked that you were giving him a run for his money right now. He knew he'd have to do some convincing but this much playfulness is new and way more fun. Your face didn't change when he said that, you just stayed, a sweat drop on your face as you tried your best to hold it together.
"Just because you're like some giant brachiosaurus doesn't mean you wouldn't die from a high enough drop." You said in response to his sudden advance. You couldn't help it, he was fun.
"Brachiosaurus, huh? That's a new one." Kuroo laughed, "Come on, it's a rational fear but we're maybe 3 or 4 meters up. You wouldn't die from this high up. Just take the risk for once, I think you'll like it."
"I take risks. Just.. not with heights" Was all you said. Still not stepping out.
"I'm sure you like to cause a bit of trouble, huh Pipsqueak?" Kuroo said playfully. But you know your own past, and hearing those words it hit a different chord. Were you still the same person you were?
"Pipsqueak? Really?" You said, the corners of your mouth lifting up just enough.
"What you're allowed to call me a Brachiosaurus dinosaur but I can't call you a pipsqueak? It's only fair. Especially when it's so fitting." Kuroo smiled, he knew he had you he emphasized his extended hand. You narrowed your eyes and grabbed it.
His hand was just as calloused and strong as you remembered. His tough hand pulling you up gently and making it easier for you to step out. Upon stepping out the fresh air prickled against your pores and attacked the sweat you still kept from the dance floor and forced it dry.
I must look so gross right now.
It felt really high up there. Your stomach churned looking down at the ground, but Kuroo just gave you light tap on your chin to force your head up towards the sky. It was so pretty. When you looked up you saw all the stars up in the sky. You could also see the entire backyard, the volleyball game going on, and even the backyards adjacent.
"The stars are so much prettier out here than they are at home." Kuroo said. Pulling on your sleeve a little to motion you to sit down with him where he's already laid his jacket over the roof tiles. It did little to get rid of the rough edges but it helped all the same. You both sat down and leaned your heads back. Your arms overlapping each other behind you. It was such a contrast to the chaos downstairs and just a few feet away in the backyard. It felt so calm just here with him.
"That's probably the one thing we have over Tokyo." You smiled, you felt so calm and a strange shiver was sent down your spine that only made your body relax further, "I really love that city. Just too many bad memories there."
You sighed and decided to prop your head up on his shoulder. Your eyes a little droopy but a feint smile there as you felt your insides tingle again and look out across the view of other rooftops.
"Have you always lived in Miyagi?" Kuroo didn't know if he should ask so he decided to take a more indirect approach with you.
"No.. kind of? I don't know. I was born in Tokyo, I lived there until I was about 7 or 8 then my parents got jobs out here so we moved and so I spent majority of my time here. Then my dad got a better offer back in Tokyo so we moved back for a year then I got in some trouble and they shipped me back to Miyagi. So I've kind of gotten used to moving around, but its been a nice safe haven here." You rubbed your eyes, realizing you had kind of rambled without checking if that was okay and kind widened your eyes at the realization you said so much, "Sorry, didn't mean to just dump my life story on you."
"No, it was really nice to listen to you." His eyes were so engaged with you, "What school did you—"
"What about you? Been a Tokyo kid since day one?" You asked, cutting off his question like you didn't hear it. He can't figure out you were a Nekoma student, not yet.
"No, actually. I moved there when I was 8." He said and you didn't believe him, "After my mom passed away, my dad moved us into my my grandparents place out there for a fresh start. Then we kind of just stayed. That's really cool you're able to be so comfortable moving and meeting new people the way you are. I remember just being so anxious all the time." Kuroo cracked his knuckles and stared over at the messy volleyball game, "It was bad, sometimes I didn't know if I would be able to introduce myself to someone. And there weren't any stars there, but there was volleyball. And Kenma, who is probably in some bedroom playing video games no doubt. Then I kind of forced Kenma to play volleyball so then that became one thing. I just remember the pride when I learned a new skill, or actually worked up the courage to talk to someone."
"That's so crazy. It's like we must've just missed each other when we were kids." You smiled, "I wonder if we would've been friends then."
Kuroo sighed in relief, it was so nice to talk to you. For the first time he mentioned his mom to you without the overwhelming 'I'm so sorry!' 'I didn't mean to pry!' or the infamous 'We don't have to talk about it.' You, on the other hand, were admiring his incredible vulnerability in telling you something like that and facing it with a positive he could focus on instead.
"I think we would've been. Considering how well we get along now." He said. He was always so genuine. You looked him in the eyes, that bold hazel almost gold color showing in his eyes, and what you saw scared your heart.
"Are you even drunk right now? I feel like you are have not been where I have all night." You said, trying to settle the mood while squinting your eyes and scanning his face. Taking a quick sniff of his breath. He did smell like alcohol.
"I've been a little buzzed but I haven't ever really been drunk. Big party crowds aren't really my thing, to be honest." He said, "Unlike you, going straight into that dance floor by yourself."
"So, you were watching me! That long?" You teased him, but he just accepted it.
"I couldn't help it. I tried by playing volleyball a little bit but I saw you through the window. You just make it so hard to look away." He admitted, bringing that look back. Your heart skipped in its chest. And you had never felt so lost in your life, it was like you were swimming and couldn't see the bottom of the ocean. There were all sorts of mysteries of what could be at the bottom, anything could come up and get you. But you didn't know what you wanted to come out of it. "Your face is really cute when you blush like that."
"What? I don't know what you mean, I wasn't blushing at all. I wouldn't do that to someone like you, ew." You covered your cheeks.
"Someone like me? What, I'm not your type? That's why you accept my jacket, hold my hand, follow me everywhere?" He teased you, sending a wink your way.
"H–hey, that's playing dirty I didn't know you then. Plus I'm drunk, I don't know what I want." You used a weak excuse to throw back at him,
"I think you're more sober than you think." Kuroo said, leaning forward to lean his head on his hand. His hair fell a little bit to cover his eye completely. You instinctively pushed his hair out of his eye to see both of them more clearly. You caught your hand and tried to think of something to say to make it more innocent in nature.
"How does that not bother you?" You asked quickly. Kuroo felt the lingering feeling of your fingertips against his forehead and reveled in it.
"My hair's always been like that, you get used to it." He decided to let that one go, "Have you ever played volleyball?"
"Not outside of PE. I thought about it for a while, because I love watching it. Kinoshita tried to convince me once since it at least looks good to a university even if you're never put in, but I just thought about all those girls and how much they wanted it. I didn't want to do anything to mess them up. I'm really only good at organizing things like this or doing people's dirty work. But I'll trade you volleyball lessons for skating lessons." You offered.
"Sounds like you'd be the best manager, right now. But I'm going to take you up on those lessons, I'll whip you into shape. That's all I'm really good at." Kuroo smiled, and there was so much mischief in his words.
"Alright, Coach Kuroo, slow it down." You rolled your eyes.
"That's Captain Tetsurou to you." He pushed you playfully. Tetsurou? Nobody called him that though, everyone addressed him as Kuroo. Was he really letting you call him that? Kuroo Tetsurou... that sounded good. You figured that Kuroo might sound good with your name. Wait, stop that!
"Captain, huh? So you're a third year." You asked. Trying to play it cool like you didn't know.
"Yup." Kuroo said, "You?"
"Second." You said quietly and rubbed the back of your neck. This was perfect. Why didn't you think of this earlier? You could protect your heart with this information. He would be leaving, he can't be interested in anything long term. You were safe.
"Ah, so you're just a little baby pipsqueak." Kuroo mocked you. You growled at the nickname.
"Yeah, well you're impossible! You're only one year older than me." You pointed out, "That's almost nothing."
"Almost is the keyword there." He pointed a finger at you. But you smacked his finger.
"Pfft." You rolled your eyes. You looked back up at the sky and closed your eyes, Kuroo made it very obvious he was only looking at you. He started to swing his legs off the roof. He started to really enjoy this alone time with you he almost forgot the kind of party that was going on. Nobody was paying attention to you guys. Maybe this was the time to make a real move? He really didn't know. This decisive captain was drawing a complete blank while looking at you.
Suddenly, there was a sound below you guys. A volleyball was flying up toward you at full speed, you opened your eyes in shock but instead of being met with a volleyball, you were met with a pair of hands. Everything happened in slow motion. Kuroo's hands came in between your face and that volleyball. It bounced off his hands and back onto the court in bounds.
"Woah, Captain! That was so awesome!" You saw a few first years on one side of the court yell random compliments toward Kuroo.
"Damn it, no way you were able to stop my spikes even from up there?!" Bokuto's mouth fell open.
"Maybe do a better job of spiking in the court and I wouldn't have to, you damn owl!" Kuroo yelled back.
"Sorry..." Bokuto hung his shoulders.
"Thank you." You said, calming down a bit. It was so cool to get to see him in action like that, "That was pretty cool. I'm guessing you're a middle blocker then? Right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" Kuroo asked sarcastically and half-serious. He was impressed you even knew the real position name.
"Something about how you stopped that spike right in front of my face without any hesitation gave it away." You said.
"Very observant, good work. That was lesson number one." He said, leaning in a bit closer. But thinking a bit more about how there are still so many people around and now your little hiding place was exposed. But all you saw on your end was this handsome creature having just saved you from a pretty harsh whack in the face.
"Can I ask you something?" You couldn't get the whole reputation thing out of your head. What those girls said weren't seeming to match up at all. You didn't know if you were being stupid and naive or if there was really no backing to those girls' stories. Kuroo nodded in response, "N-nevermind actually. I forgot. Just, uh that I think it's cool that those underclassmen down there look up to you so much. You probably make a really good captain."
"I like talking to you, (Y/N)-chan." Kuroo said, forgetting everything else. His skin felt like it was going to burn at your touch. Everything you said was too perfect, you were going to be the death of him now. He leaned into the point where your guys' noses were touching each other, everything around your world felt paused. It was all happening so slowly. Your foreheads touched.
"I like talking to you, too." You guys just continued to look at each other, you wanted to continue but you just couldn't. You felt paralyzed by him, those red alerts came back but you weren't exactly scared of them this time. This time it just felt exciting. You breathed out chills when he took his thumb to push the hair out of your eyes.
He was closing his eyes, you knew what this meant. Finally. Finally, you would get to feel him, you could test out this attraction. You prepared yourself for his kiss, closing your eyes too, and trying your best to relax. You could feel his breath on your lips, you must've been millimeters away when:
"THE COPS! COPS ARE HERE!"